††††††††††† Our
everlasting union with the Son of God is the basis of our safety and security.
Godís elect are as safe and secure as Christ himself, for we are ďaccepted in the beloved.Ē When a sinner
believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he begins to enjoy a personal, manifest
union with Christ. But our union with Christ began long before we believed on
him. Our faith in Christ is not the cause of our union with him, but the
manifestation of it (II Tim. 1:9-10). The subject of Ephesians 1:6 is not our
manifest union with Christ in time, but our everlasting union with him from
eternity.

AN ELECTION UNION

††††††††††† Our
everlasting union with Christ is an election union. We were chosen in him
before the foundation of the world. This election union is the basis of all
Godís gracious operations toward and in his people (Eph. 1:4-6). Salvation must
begin with someoneís choice. Religion says it begins with your choice. But the
Bible declares that it begins with Godís choice. Godís choice of sinners unto
salvation is what the Bible calls ďthe
election of grace.Ē (Rom. 11:5). Election
is the basis and first part of Godís salvation. Without election no one would
ever be saved. Though election is personal and distinguishing, we were chosen
in Christ. There is no election of grace apart from Christ. And there is no
union with Christ apart from the election of grace. Christ was chosen to be the
Redeemer (Isa. 42:1-4). We were chosen to be the redeemed (II Thess. 2:13-14).
Election guarantees our eternal security. Our election and our Saviorís
election stand or fall together. The Lambís Book of Life, that begins with the
inscription of his name, holds our names. Until the pen of hell can scratch out
his name, it cannot scratch out ours!

A SURETYSHIP UNION

††††††††††† Our
everlasting union with Christ is also a legal, suretyship union. As the surety
and the debtor represented by him are one before the law, so the Lord Jesus
Christ and his people are one before God in a legal sense. He became our Surety
in the covenant of grace before the world was made (Heb. 7:22). As the Surety
of the covenant, he drew near to the Father in the name of his elect, made
himself our Substitute, laid himself under obligation to God to pay our debts,
satisfy all the demands of Godís law, justice, and righteousness for us, and
procure on the grounds of strict justice all the blessings of grace and glory
for us, to the praise of the glory of his grace. When Christ became our Surety,
our Sponsor before God, he became totally responsible to God for us, to pay our
debts, fulfill our obligations, and bring us to glory (John 10:15-16). Thus,
even from eternity, God ceased to look for satisfaction from us. He sought
satisfaction from our Surety, and found it (Job 33:24). When Christ became our
Surety, our salvation was finished, in so far as the Lord our God is concerned
(Rom. 8:28-30; II Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8). When Christ became our Surety, our
everlasting salvation and security became matters of absolute certainty.